Read elemental 01 - whirlwind for Free Online Page B

alone. She agreed, after mentioning she should change into something other than pajamas. Aiden tried not to feel disappointed. Aira’s sleepwear piqued his interest. He’d had an intense sex drive as a teenager that had continued unabated when he reached his full powers as a fire elemental. If anything, Aiden thought it had intensified. He waited for a few moments, talking to Lorene about the book he was reading.
    Aira stepped back into the kitchen fully clothed and, for a moment, Aiden couldn’t help but stare. She was casually dressed, but the fitted jeans and thin sweater clung to her womanly curves even more thoroughly than her pajamas. She’d pulled her hair back, revealing the curve of her neck, practically inviting his attention. He took a deep breath and suppressed the instant attraction he felt, reminding himself once again she was looking for a suitable permanent mate, and his job was to protect her, not become distracted by the way her ass filled out her jeans. He stood from the table, gesturing for Aira to lead the way. Aira didn’t spare him a glance as she went through the front door. “I’ll take you out to the far corner and we can circle around,” Aira said over her shoulder.
    “Fine by me,” Aiden replied. He couldn’t resist the impulse to glance down as he followed her, and had to still his lust at the sight of her ass swaying as she walked. He moved closer to Aira to abate his distractions. She pointed out different plants as they moved along, telling him about their significance. Aiden had always considered gardening a somewhat futile pursuit—when he was outdoors, he much preferred actually doing something active; playing sports, or at least hiking. But he was interested in Aira’s explanations about why her grandmother had planted a particular bed in a particular location, so the plants would get the right amount of sunlight. She told him a story about how her grandmother would throw pennies around the various beds to keep away snails and slugs, and how she would tell people she was paying the flowers to bloom.
    In spite of his general disinterest, Aiden was impressed with the sheer abundance of growing things thriving in one place. Aira led him around to a tall magnolia tree, smiling faintly as she looked up through its branches.
    “This has always been my favorite tree. I learned how to fly because of it.” She said, glancing at him with a trace of shyness in her smile. “Grams always scolded me for climbing trees, but I never stopped.”
    Aiden grinned at the thought of Aira as a child, defying her grandmother.
    “Look.” He said, reasoning it was as good a time as any to have the discussion they needed to have. “I know you’re not thrilled at the idea of having two bodyguards protecting you for however long it takes you to find someone.” He licked his lips. “Trust me; it’s not the assignment my brother and I would prefer to have either. And I, for one, think you should take all the time you need to find a mate, if that’s what you want.”
    Aira shrugged uncertainly.
    “But you have to know it’s not safe. I can protect myself pretty well, and so can my brother. He’ll be even better at it once he comes into his full abilities, but an air elemental does have a limited means of self-defense.” Aiden stopped short as Aira turned to face him fully.
    “Limited means?” She asked him, her voice deceptively sweet. Aiden realized he had made a mistake. Before he could even think to correct it, he heard the wind starting to rise around them. Aiden wasn’t afraid so much as he was feeling somewhat cautious, focusing his mind on his abilities. If he had to do something to scare the woman in front of him, to show her who she was dealing with, he would, but he didn’t want to actually hurt her. The wind continued to rise until Aira was moving, slowly lifting off the ground. She looked up at the sky and made several odd chirping noises, and Aiden backed away, watching her